Project Redemption: The Side Town Chronicles
by Blandman
Summary: My first story on these fine boards. An original character's story. Very short and quick just to get an idea of things. Hope you enjoy.
1. Summary

**A not so short Summary**

Allow me to explain myself before I get this train wreck going. As I stated previously, I have been working on this story for quite some time. It is far from perfect and I am open to constructive criticism (though blatant flames will just be ignored). I've tried, and will continue to try, to make this as realistic as possible. Though as you can imagine, with such a setting as this it is no easy task. So a few things must be passed through.

Now, onto the story itself. Well, it'll be a long one overall if I ever finish, but hopefully this part should be relatively short. Mostly because it doesn't have enough of the Teen Titans in it. Let me assure you that this is a Teen Titans fan-fiction set in the same universe. However, I am not a fan of simply throwing in an unknown character into the mix. I feel a rather selfish need to provide a little back story before I move onto the main chunk of this. I know I could just throw together a nice compact little summary, but I don't believe that makes a character quite human enough (not that I have anything against stories that do this, but this is just my own long about way of doing things). So forgive me for the relative lack of appearances by the Teen Titans.

Speaking of original characters...yes, I admit, this is a story about my own character. Yes, they steal the limelight. I am aware of my heretical ways in the writing of fan-fiction. I can only hope that the writing Gods forgive me for my sins. But saying that, I have tried to make the character as three dimensional as I possibly can. They're in no way a fully flesh out super in-depth person. But I like to think that they're not a flat, boring, super duper awesome powerful character either. Again, any constructive criticism or feedback regarding the character is more than welcome.

Right...

Now that my silly ramblings are out of the way, let us move on with the story. Shall we?


	2. Betrayal

**Project Redemption**

**Chapter 1: Betrayal**

It was a hellish day to work the night shift. Although the sky was perfectly clear, a bitter wind howled through the city, bringing a biting chill along with it. People clung to their coats and hats, fearing that they might be stolen by the wind. Regardless of the weather however, it was a perfectly peaceful night, much to the gratification of all security personnel within the FISCO Labs building. The building was oddly in the shape of a cross. It climbed up to the dizzy heights of around five-hundred feet, and had enough space left over on the roof for a small private helicopter to land on. The roof was larger of course, but the space was taken up by numerous other things, such as vents and the like.

There was a single double door leading to the inside of the building, with a pass code required to enter. It was guarded by two men each night. The position was considered to be just about the worst one you could get, so the men and women of FISCO Security had agreed to take it in turns. Steven Barnes and Kevin McFarlain were the unfortunate ones for that particular night. They had already braved the bitter cold for many hours already, trying their very best to keep warm by pacing back and forth. The full body armour they had been issued not long ago provided very efficient protection, but it did little to keep a man warm.

A movement in the shadows caught Steven's attention and he instantly went to inspect with pistol in hand. Kevin remained at the door, his pistol drawn also. But they were a little out of their league on this night. Steven was away from his post and failed to notice Kevin being dragged off and knocked out. When he next wheeled about his partner was already gone. The panicked guard instantly reached for his walkie-talky, but another movement brought his hand back to the Colt's handle. He watched as a man dressed in tight fitting attire stepped out. He looked like some sort of Special-Ops character. Before Steven could react again, a faint blue wave forced him off his feet and into the wall behind. He could have sworn it had come from the man's hand...

* * *

As opposed to the outside, the inside of FISCO Labs was relatively warm. One would expect otherwise due to the long, empty, hallways. This was just the top floor of course, though it could be considered as the most important. All "Top Secret" experiments, projects and research took place there. At the time however, there were only a handful of late working scientists and around the clock security. Unbeknown to the employees of FISCO, an intruder had infiltrated their facility. Their target was the west wing of the top floor. There you could find one of the many large safes within the building.

At its entrance were two guards, who were idly talking about a long list of trivial matters. They barely even noticed another guard approaching.

"Steven?" one of them queried "What the hell are you doing down here?"

"Yeah," added the other "You're meant to be on roof shift tonight."

There was a brief silence between the three, until Steven finally broke it.

"Oh...ya know...it was cold up there..."

"Damn it Ste..."

Before the guard could even finish talking he was struck in the face and sent to the ground. The other man attempted to draw out his handgun, but the intruder was too fast. He grabbed the man's arm, twisted it harshly, then slammed the guard's head against the safe door, the full face helmet doing little to save him. Both were quite badly hurt, but neither were dead, just as it had been ordered.

No time was wasted as the man picked up one of the guards. They were not quite unconscious and put up a struggle, but were overpowered quite easily. Taking off their helmet and right hand glove, he forced the guard's eye open, placing it at the eye scanner, while putting their hand in the appropriate place upon the hand scanner. After a few seconds of scanning, a mechanical voice sounded;

"Main vault opening."

And with that, the huge steel door opened itself inward. The entire vault was empty, save for one thing. A small black box sat upon a plain square pedestal. He had seen the buildings security details. The vault had many security lasers installed. He hadn't much time, so the man removed the white full face helmet. However, his face was still covered by a balaclava. Removing a pair of Infra-red goggles from a pouch that was upon his belt, the intruder placed them firmly about his head. Switching them on instantly revealed all the present security lasers. He hadn't much time left before the security personnel reacted, so the man quickly began the painstaking dodging and weaving.

It was no easy feat, but he eventually made it. Sighing to himself, the man finally grasped the black box. It was a curious object. He hadn't been told anything about, only that it was necessary to obtain. Even as he slipped it into his pouch, a voice called out from behind him.

"Requesting...backup...at the main vault," came the weak voice of the guard "Vault breached..."

The intruder slowly turned about, removing the goggles as he did so. There in a kneeling position was the defiant guard, who had dropped his communicator and replaced it with a standard issue side arm. With a shaky hand and unsteady sight, he tried raising it up to fend off the aggressor. But the man reacted in turn. Darting forward he discarded any concern for the security lasers. The alarms were sounded and whined throughout the complex. Reaching the guard, a lightning kick was shot out by the man, disarming the guard, before quickly knocking him out completely.

He had to move quickly, but simply could not escape quick enough. Even as he dealt with one guard, a number of others rounded the corner. They came prepared with high powered semi-automatics. The man scrambled for the pistol dropped by the other guard and let off a number of charges, their light whizzing down the corridor and giving some guards a few nasty flesh wounds. It was enough of an attack to force the guards into cover. This would be a difficult situation to get out of. But he had two potential hostages at his side. Picking up one of the men and holding them in front, he raised the pistol to their head.

An instant and obvious reaction came from the others.

"Stand down," shouted the groups leader "Stand down damn it!"

The intruder took careful steps forward, keeping his eyes fixed upon the guards in front. They backed off as he approached and were helpless to do anything except watch in frustration. The man took a turn and started heading for a nearby, clearly showing his intention to head to the roof. Reaching the set of stairs, he threw the guard forward and bolted through the metal door before storming up the steps two at a time.

There was instantly the sound of his purser's footsteps coming up the same stairs. Reaching the same door as before, the man punched in the required code and pushed opened the door. A harsh lash of cold wind swept across him. Slamming the door shut he destroyed the keypad, hoping that it would slow down the guards if only for a while. The high pitched alarm echoed through the night, piercing the calm. And the distant sound of police sirens joined it. The man frantically searched the skies with a mono-sight, packing it away after spotting the black helicopter. It was still a few minutes away. He just had to hold off the guards for as long as he could. But fortune took a turn for the worst and another voice caught him by surprise.

"Looks like you've got nowhere else to run, huh?" the confident voice of a young man.

This time the man spun about instantly, raising the gun up as he did so. A few paces away stood the costumed hero Robin. The Teen Titans had arrived. And things had just gotten complicated for the man. He hoped for to just be the Boy Wonder. His superiors had advised against engaging the entire group head-on. And he knew from the vids that he couldn't possibly taken them on.

"You going to make this easy," Robin started "Or are we going to have to take you down?"

The man remained perfectly silent, using his glaring eyes to speak for him. He saw no choice but to fire and went to squeeze the trigger. But the thought was ripped from his mind just as the gun was ripped from his hands. It now floated in mid-air surrounded by a strange black energy. There it stayed, pointing at him now. Then it was slowly dismantled and crushed right before his eyes.

"Guess we're doing this the hard way. Titans, go!" the young man shouted, drawing out his bo-staff.

Nothing happened for a few moments, but a loud bird-like sound brought the man's attention upwards. But there was no bird to be found. Instead a large Rhino was hurdling downwards, right at him. The man's eyes widened and he jumped to the side, tumbling on the ground and rolling onto one-knee. Robin was on him in a split second, sending out swift blows with his staff. The man found himself in a situation where he was outclassed in speed and technique. The differences between the two in hand-to-hand fighting were clear, with Robin taking the advantage. Some swings were dodged or stumbled away from, but most met their mark, knocking the man further and further back. A messy attack gave the man his chance. Grabbing the bo-staff, he tore it from Robin's hands and threw it to the side. He quickly grabbed the Boy Wonder by each shoulder and gave him a similar treatment. The Teen Titan leader was quickly back on his feet however.

A shifted Beast Boy came at him in the form of a cheetah. The ground between the two was covered with ease and the man found himself set upon once more. On the ground with a big cat on top, he fought furiously to regain the upper hand. A number of punches and kicks were sent Beast Boy's way. The green Titan eventually caved into the relentless attacks, rolling off from the man and shifting into a grizzly bear as he did so. A joint attack was sent this time by both Robin and Beast Boy. The changeling charged forward while the Boy Wonder sent a few well aimed projectiles. A few of them were dodged, while other ones found their way and caused further damage. A clumsy paw swipe was ducked away from, but the following backhand hit home sending the man off his feet again. He couldn't hold out much longer, but knew that his salvation was close at hand.

The two Titans stood triumphantly as they allowed the man to stumble back to his feet.

"You've still got plenty of time to change your mind and just hand yourself over," reasoned the Titan.

But the offer did not seem to reach the man, and he stood to his feet again in a fighting pose. With a heavy heart, Robin gave a signal to keep fighting. Instantly the man found himself in an iron grip. Two massive mechanical arms wrapped around him and lifted the man off his feet. He struggled helplessly, trying to wriggle free from Cyborg's bindings. It was only a sudden blast of blue energy that saved him from the cybernetic Titan. Being free from the trap wasn't the end however. From high above the alien Starfire rained down upon the criminal with a fury of green bolts. The same blue energy provided the man with a shield this time. Though the bolts had been shrugged off, he let down the shield too soon and was greeted by a bone crunching punch from the alien.

Again he was sent flying backwards, only to collide with a set of steel pipes. The metal gave his back an unfriendly welcome as he connected with them, though they did provided him with something to steady himself. And as a useful piece for the black energy to wrap itself around. The pipes were ripped from their placing and used to bind him. They were wrapped right around him a number of times. Finally the man gave in, falling to both knees and hanging his head. He was exhausted.

Robin was the first to approach, and yanked the balaclava from the man's head. Rough jet black hair fell from underneath, covering parts of the man's face. But his grey eyes were still visible, and they looked on with a glare. Blood ran from the man's noes and mouth. Something about his appearance spoke of experience beyond his years, though he only looked to be in his early twenties. His face was quite gaunt, but not overly so, and his skin was plainly pale, though nowhere near to the extent of Raven's.

And then, salvation came.

A great whirring sound came as the helicopter reached its destination. It hovered down slowly, coming level with the rooftop. Just as it did, the guards breached the door and stormed outside with guns at the ready. There was now a group of around seven guards facing towards the helicopter which held just three armed men. However, one man was armed with a rather large mounted gun. The other two jumped off and without any audible orders began opening fire, as did the man on the heavier gun. Their full body black armour definitely wasn't military issue. Neither were their weapons. Energy weapons were fired off from each side and the guards were forced into cover once more while the Titans were forced to defend themselves.

The two men who had jumped off ran over to their fallen comrade and picked him up, before falling back shooting as they went. The third man helped with heaving their agent onto the helicopter before they all settled in and the helicopter started off again. The heavy gunner made sure to keep up the pressure as they went, sending a few shots at the roof. Once the black helicopter had turned away, the guards jumped out again and ran to try and stop them

"Open fire! Bring it down!"

But it was pointless. The helicopter was faster than any other they had seen and was gone. Both the guards and the Titans were left dumbfounded and the roof, the balaclava their only lead.

* * *

There was utter silence amongst the people in the helicopter. Three others were in there, not counting the pilot and his navigator. The three men were wearing an incredibly complex suit of full black body armour. Their faces couldn't be seen. They simply stared through green tinted visors. One could only hazard a guess as to what their expression, or even thoughts were. The silence continued as the pilot announced their final approach to the Facility.

They had been flown out into the middle of the desert where seemingly nothing could be found. As they came to a massive mountain formation, the very tip of the largest mountain began to shift. Just as it finished opening up, a platform raised to the top. The helicopter landed neatly upon this platform, and soon after it began its descent . After it had gone down some bit, the mountain top closed back up. They now found themselves in some form of cylinder, with many lights going about it.

It seemed to take a eternity to reach the massive helicopter zone. The room was truly massive, containing at least seven helicopters, each on their own pad, and each with another large cylinder above it. As the platform stopped and the crew piled out, engineers approached to check on the helicopter. Many other engineers, soldiers and even scientists busied about the place, going about their own tasks and duties. All the helicopter platforms were situated on a gigantic circle, which led right down to the Facility's bottom. Many bridges branched off from this circle, leading to various other places, and even above there were more rooms with yet more fascinating things. And though the man had been there for almost his entire life, he had barely seen any of it.

As he stepped out from the helicopter, he was approached by a large, middle-aged man. He was a Master Sergeant who the man had seen now and again. His hair was almost all grey, except for a few patches of brown that held on. The soldier's face was scarred and slightly wrinkled. His brown eyes gave the feeling that he had a story or ten to tell anyone who would listen.

"Did you get the item?,"he asked.

The man replied with a nod and handed over the strange object.

"Excellent," the man said in a stern voice. He took the object and handed it over to a nearby scientist "Smith says he wants to see you in the main hangar."

* * *

The main hangar was like a huge metal hall. It would take nearly fifteen minutes to walk from the furthest end to the other. On the day in question however, many of the large lights were off, and all but a few of the various equipment and vehicles were left. Most notable was the lack of people. Much like the helicopter pad, the main hangar was usually bursting with activity. At the centre of the far end was a large hangar door, big enough to fit three heavy tanks side-by-side, and at each side of it were two significantly smaller doors for infantry or other personnel.

The man's footsteps echoed through the empty hangar, before he eventually came to a stop underneath one of the lights that was on. He didn't try calling out to anyone, but simply stood at attention in silence. After some time, one of the side doors in front of him opened, and in the door frame stood a figure, their features shadowed by the bright light behind them.

"I hear you were successful," the person said.

"Yes," came the simple reply.

"Good. That Energy Pack shall come in use."

There was a long pause.

"However, I...have some bad news," stated the person "It seems knowledge of your existence has been leaked. This could be very dangerous to our whole operation."

"I...I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about..."

"This is the end. We can't allow this risk to continue. You must be terminated."

"Termin...but...!"

But the man had already left, and the door closed. The young man now stood alone, in utter silence. For a few moments nothing happened. Soon enough though, he felt a great tremor and heard a loud crashing sound. He gave it no second thought after guessing what had been planned. The madman was going to blow up the entire hangar with him in it! The man instantly dropped the black box and made a headlong run for the side door at which the man had stood. He rushed up the long metal ramp as fast as he could. By the time he reached the door and burst through it, the explosions were already charging through the hangar. The room he was met with was an airlock of sorts, created for making sure the Facility was not contaminated. It was completely round, and all white, with lights going about the top. But he had no time to stop and look. Charging through, he tackled the other door, crashing through it. Now the metal stopped and earth began. A similar tunnel could be found at the other side door. They weren't the most stable of parts, but were necessary. The man sprinted down the tunnel towards the old elevator, which was thankfully at the bottom. As he stepped into it, and furiously pressed the up button, the explosions began ripping apart the decontamination room.

Now it was the final stretch through the "abandoned mine." The elevator finally reached his goal, and the man leapt out, running at full pelt for the exit. It was plainly insight, barred only by a few wooden planks. As he ran down the long tunnel, the explosions started catching up behind him. The elevator was now gone, and he was almost caught. Reaching the wooden planks he desperately started ripping them away.

It was too late. Even as he took one step outside, he was caught by the last and largest blast. The last thing he remembered was being sent hundreds of feet into the air, before coming crashing down.

And then, there was nothing.


	3. Second Chance

_ Note: I see that most problem around here put up a little bit here about the chapter and what have you. It's pretty short, but I like to think that it moves things along nicely. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading._

**Chapter 2: A Second Chance**

It was a gloomy and lonesome night out in the desert. There had been reports of a minor tremor about two days ago, but it was so far out from anything worth caring about that nobody gave it any attention. The closest sign of civilization was a rickety old motor-bar, and then about forty-two miles east was Side-Town.

There was someone who had reason to be out so far however. They struggled down the road in a beat-up '56 Ford Mercury Wagon. Most of its light blue paint had peeled away over the years, and the rust was most evident. A number of dents and scratches were present also. The back bumper was just barely hanging on, held up by a hurriedly attached roll of duck tape. Then there was the inside, which was no better than the outside. Stains were abundant on both the seats and the roof. Much of the material was torn, and the dash board broken in places. An old radio played a series of shaky music which was barely audible over the static.

The car's driver seemed to share its apparent age. He was at the least in his early sixties with thinning hair in the style of a comb over. Upon his wrinkled face were a pair of large square glasses which magnified his ice blue eyes slightly. The clothes he wore were quite typical of a man his age really. A brown wool jacket and a white t-shirt. He wore black trousers and a pair of dark blue slippers. The man sat slightly hunched forward and was slowly scanning the surrounding area.

He had been driving along quite sluggishly for a long time now and had almost given up on the whole thing. But eventually, he caught a glimpse of the blue glow that he had been searching for. Thankfully it was not too far from the road side. The man brought his rickety old car to a gradual stop and stepped out from it. As quickly as he could, the old man shuffled to the back of the car and opened the boot. With the same shuffling walk he approached the dim blue light. The light enveloped a body of a man in white body armour which was broken in places and had some pieces missing. . His young face was badly bruised and burnt.

"Can't believe they didn't find you first," the old man muttered "Let's get you away from here sharpish."

The man struggled with the weight of the body as he dragged it along the rough desert floor. Eventually he reached the car, and slowly managed to lift the body into the back of his car before slamming down the boot. The old man put a hand to his back and stretched as far as he could. Heavy lifting was not something he should have been doing at his age, but it was necessary. After much moaning and cursing, the old man had made it back to the driver's seat and the rickety car was away. It headed in the direction of Side-Town.

Now when people told you that Side-Town was a dump, they meant it. There was no place in the United States where you could find more crime, drugs, poverty, unemployment and corruption than Side-Town. The Government didn't care for it, the officials had failed many attempts to clean up the town. It was a place ruled by gangs. Most of the police were corrupt, some of them were just too scared to do anything, and the one's that actually wanted to help were too few to change anything.

Crime was a part of everyday life for the town's citizens. You may ask why anyone would want to live there, but the simple fact was that the people there were too poor to go anywhere else. Barely anybody actually had a full-time job. The basic rule was, you were either in a gang or you were an easy target. The streets were littered with assorted trash and various other things. A few dried up blood stains could be found on the pavements and any alleyway was a dangerous place to go no matter who you were.

But for all this, it was the perfect place to hide.

And that's exactly why the old man had chosen it. He had become used to the towns discrepancies and downfalls. It was all just background static to him. So he cared little for the mess that the town was in. His only concern at that moment was to get back to his apartment.

As you could have guessed, the apartment block was much the same as the rest of Side-Town. Run down and falling to pieces. But people still lived there. They had nowhere else to go. The building had ten stories and a small set of steps leading up to the main door. A pile of rubbish occupied each side of these steps. At the right side was an alleyway and the buildings fire escape. It was a dull brown building, with many boarded up windows and others that were left broken.

In any other town people would be shocked to see someone carrying an "unconscious" person around, but in Side-Town, no-one gave it a second thought as the old man struggled with the body up the steps. He entered into the building and looked about, it was completely empty except for the land lord, who was currently fast asleep at his desk. The man was quite bulky and had well cut grey hair. The reception was just a small room with one musky old bench and a set of stairs. The old man was grateful that he had asked for a room on the first floor.

Room 105. Situated pretty close to the stairs as well. Another thing to be thankful for. The old man easily pushed the door open with his back, as he hadn't locked it on his way out, though made sure to do so once both he and the body were inside the apartment. The main room left much to be desired. It shared the same poignant smell that went throughout the entire building. The wallpaper was peeling and there was a leak coming through the ceiling. A dusty old coffee table sat in front of an equally old, torn couch. In one of the corners was a television set which sat upon a small set of draws, and in another corner was a small radiator.

With one final drag and heave, the old man pulled the body up onto the couch and finally let himself rest. He stood up straight, giving great relief to his spine.

"Shouldn't be too long now I suppose," he said. There was not much else he could have done, so he left the body there and went into his own room.

Almost two months had passed, and still nothing. Still darkness. Everything was still empty. But suddenly, there was light, and like a machine slowly starting up, his senses gradually returned. First there was touch, and he felt pain. Then came smell, and it was a horrid smell to wake up to. Taste and hearing were not far behind. Then finally sight. And the scene before him was strange to him. Alien. It was nowhere he had ever been before. But then, he couldn't remember being anywhere else at all. In fact, he couldn't remember a single thing. The man shot up from his lying position.

The awakened man looked about in a confused state. His head jerked about, and his eyes darted side-to-side. There were no memories. Who was he? What was he? Why was he there? Nothing came to mind. No answers. The man huddled up on the couch, drawing his knees up to his chest and hiding his face away, continuing to dart his eyes about, whimpering slightly to himself.

A door suddenly opening caused the frightened man to jump. Within the doorway of the apartment's entrance stood a frail old man who looked as if he could be toppled by a firm breeze. He stared at the young man through thick square glasses that magnified his eyes a little. A warm smile was written across his face.

"It's good to see you awake boy," he said in a friendly voice before entering the room and closing the door "I was starting to worry that you wouldn't wake up at all."

The young man did not answer, but instead huddled up even more and continued his whimpering.

"Come on now. I'm not going to hurt you," the old man chuckled "I couldn't do that even if I tried!"

The words of comfort did nothing to calm the young man's nerves. The old man had very much expected such a thing to have happened, and couldn't have blamed the poor man. At that time, he was a lost soul. Cautiously, the old man tried to approach, but the confused man scuttled as fast as he could to the side of the couch. Even so, he continued to advance, but as he did the young man simply became more frightened and when he did finally reach him, the young man shot up like a bolt of lightning and pushed the old man. Fortunately for the old fellow, no bones had been broken and all he got was a few more sore places.

"Please," he said as he struggled back up "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help...Please calm down."

The man was pressed right up against the far wall and breathing heavily. Sweat was clearly running down his face, causing his jet black hair to stick. His grey eyes continued to dart around, but the man seemed to be gradually calming down.

"My name is Andy. Andy Grey," the old man said, stepping towards the man slowly again "What's your name?"

"Na...name..?" the man replied, still pressing himself against the wall.

"Yes. Can you remember it?"

"No...no name!"

"Then settle down and I'll tell you," said Andy.

"Mine? Name?" the young man asked in a weak voice.

"Just sit back down and we'll talk for a bit. Okay?"

The young man nodded slightly and Andy helped him to sit down.

"There's not much I can tell you right now apart from your name. It's Jason Fields and you are currently twenty-four years old, and I'm afraid things are going to be a bit difficult for you in the future. Now please, don't ask me any more questions yet," Andy stated, before Jason could say anything "There is something I must do. Hold up your hands."

Jason complied silently and held up his hands in front of his face. Slowly, the old man removed the pair of white gloves to reveal another pair. But these gloves were nothing like any other. They were made of many small bars of metal that all fitted together in an intricate way. At the centre of these bars was a small circle glass dome that contained a strange blue substance, and another similar dome could be found on the palm side of the gloves. The gloves went down just past the wrists and finally stopped at a metal bar that went right around the arm and looked similar to handcuffs, though slightly thicker. There could be found a small compartment for some sort of cartridge. Inside it at that time was an empty glass container.

Without saying a word, Andy removed the gloves and disappeared into another room. Jason followed him with his eyes until the old man was out of sight, but continued to look intently at the doorway he had gone through. It was a good few minutes before the man returned with the same pair of gloves. However, the once empty containers were now full of the same strange blue substance that had been in the domes. He handed them back over to Jason who looked at them.

"Put them back on," said Andy quickly "It will hurt a little though."

Jason simply obeyed and placed the gloves back on, one after the other. He held his hands up much like before, and for a moment nothing happened. But that changed instantly, and a great sense of pain flowed through his fingers as five spikes dug their way into his fingers and thump on each hand. The young man's face cringed in great pain, and his mouth opened to scream, but nothing came out for a couple of seconds, until eventually the screams and shouts made their way out and filled the room. In an instant he was on the floor, curled up and unable to do anything.

And though it seemed as if the pain would last for an eternity, it suddenly stopped and was replaced by a strange sense of being renewed and energetic. The blue substance travelled through previously unseen tubes that were worked into the metal of the gloves, but it soon dimmed before disappearing completely.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that Jason," stated Andy "And I'm afraid it'll happen each time you put the gloves back on."

"W...why do I need them?"

"I can't tell you that right now, but just know that they are very important. It is imperative that you do not lose them or allow someone else to wear them."

"Why not?"

"I can't tell you that right now..."

The young man seemed to look a little disappointed, and Andy was a bit disheartened by the fact that there was so little he could tell the confused man at that time. But he knew that a flood of information could shatter the man's fragile mind.

"But that's enough for today. I think it'd be best if we both got a little rest. I'm going to sleep like a log tonight," Andy yawned as he stood up and stretched his arms "You'll have to sleep on the couch sorry. I haven't got a spare bed and sleeping on that thing wouldn't do any good for my back."

No more could be said before Andy disappeared through the same door again. Jason was left alone in the room. The recently awakened man dragged himself back onto the dirty old couch and sat looking at the gloves on his hands. He didn't feel tired. Not even in the slightest. Which was no surprise as he hadn't been awake for about two months. The young man was curious. He wanted to know what the outside looked like. And it was not long before his curiosity got the best of him. Finally he removed the uncomfortable white armour, leaving just the equally uncomfortable black bodysuit which still had some of its previous equipment attached.

Jason looked around the room to make sure Andy was not watching, before sneaking out.


	4. Streets of Rage

_**Chapter 3: Streets of Rage**_

_It was well into the night, and well past the hour for anyone to be out on the street. Side Town was bad enough during the day. Things only went downhill when night time came about. Sirens of all kinds cut through the night air. The occasional gunshot. A brick through the window. All familiar background noise in the town. And it was in this run down place that a man, who's memory had been all but lost, was to start anew._

_His legs were weak, barely keeping him upright as they struggled to carry him down the stairs. The landlord was gone now and did not notice his passing. Jason approached the rickety old door with arms wrapped over his chest and widened eyes. The thin piece of wood was the last thing between himself and the outside world. The building was strange enough, but basic human curiosity washed over the man again again. A pale and shaky hand, encased in the same gloves, lifted itself from the safety of Jason's chest and nudged open the door. He took one step into the unknown and marvelled at the view around him._

_Broken down buildings, uneven streets, cracked pavement slabs, a racoon's paradise of garbage at every corner. But this wasn't the main point of Jason's interest. His gaze was fixed squarely skywards. Tiny droplets of water fell onto his face and stung at his unblinking eyes. And for that small moment he felt as if all the troubles of the world were being swept away. For the first time he actually felt a sense of calmness. The chilling water ran a slalom down his face and hair. He could specifically define what he was feeling, but it clearly soothed the man._

_Soon enough, that same curiosity overwhelmed him once more. Jason began to timidly shuffle along the pavement, passing by an assortment of yet more garbage, homeless people, savaging animals and a whole variety of shady characters. All of which donated greatly to Jason's fascination. This town, which to others would seem rundown and rancid, was something of a marvel to this person. He knew no better than this town, and had no idea of what a "normal" life was. These new sights were forming what must be __normal_ to him.

Jason was soon out of eye-shot of his building, but continued on regardless, wide-eyed and jaw dropped. Even the smell of decaying garbage, and possibly animal corpses, could not overcome his wonder. Nothing phased the man. Panhandlers would approach and beg, yet all they got was a bemused smile and confused look. Maybe even a stifled chuckle. Any other person and the beggars would react quite viciously, but so odd was this man that they thought it best not to. However, his almost childish adventuring wouldn't last much longer. One turn can bring up many interesting things in Side-Town, none of them good. Tonight would be no different.

Rounding a corner and walking on just a little more, Jason found himself walking behind a row of commercial stores and rundown diners. Alleyways branched off in between the buildings and it was down one these dank alleyways that an all too common sound burst out. A young girl screaming. In just one second, the man's smile was swept away as he stumbled across the scene of five men, all dressed in an assortment of scruffy clothing, besetting a young girl while an unconscious man sat limply against a wall. Laughter and jeers mixed with the sound of struggle and fear.

"Oh-hooo! Looks like we got ourselves a feisty one ta'day boys!" one taunted as he made a grab for the girl.

"You best be keeping' quiet and forgettin' 'bout daddy lil' missy," started another "'Cause once we's done with you, an' he's had at watched, we're gonna finish him off!"

"Yeah yeah yeah! You got nowhere to run!"

The man's stomach twisted and his whole body began to shake. It was uncontrollable. Something was building up that he couldn't explain. His thoughts became clouded and he could think of only one thing.

_Kill..._

With gritted teeth and glaring eyes Jason flexed his hands, the gloves creaking slightly as he did so. He hadn't even noticed the fact that his feet had begun to move of their own accord. He found himself just a few feet away now, blue sparks flicking from his gloves. One of the men finally noticed him and turned to face the intruder.

"'Ey! What you doin' here kid? Get outta here before we gut you too!"

"Help! Please, God help!" cried the young girl from amongst the group.

"Yo, Billy Boy, deal with this joker."

Billy Boy nodded and flicked out his switchblade as he approached the man, a cruel smile to counter his prey's glare. The criminal let out a shrill laugh as he lunged. But his pre-emptive strike was cut out. His outstretched arm became trapped in a grip that suggested it could apply more pressure if need be. One twist and Billy dropped his knife. Another hand grasped his side and the man suddenly found himself colliding face first with a wall. He bounced off and onto the floor. Before he could even come around, the sound of electricity ripped through the air and in turn his chest. And thus ended Billy Boy's life. The rest of the group looked on in abstract horror, including the young girl.

"Holy fuckin' shit!" cried one "Billy!"

"Get this motha and teach him a thing or two 'bout messin' with us!" shouted their apparent leader.

Two more came at him, up in arms over their friend's demise. One armed with a lead pipe, the other an iron chain. But they too fell. The pipe was swung once, and then again. The first was dodged and the next ducked. A two hands shot forward, grabbing both the pipe and the man's neck. The same grip that had caught Billy now closed in around the man's neck. He struggled of course, kicking, punching and gasping for air. His friend came to aid, lashing fiercely with his chain, but to little avail. Bone's collapsed under the iron hand and another life faded. All attention fell upon the man with his chain, the previous victim being tossed aside like garbage.

"You bastard!" roared the defiant chain swinger as he lashed out again.

Their assailant caught the chain mid-flight and allowed it to wrap around his hand. He was now free to pull his prey forward and deliver a shattering punch to the face. Both man and chain dropped to the ground. The crazed saviour now looked to the remaining two, stepping past his previous opponent, making sure to crush his skull as he did so. One very smartly gave way to fear, dropped his weapon and turned tail.

"Screw this! You guys ain't worth dyin' ova'!"

"'Ey! Fuckin' coward. Get back 'ere!"

The leader had turned his attention away for just a second and already found that his attacker was face-to-face upon turning back. No words passed from the killer, only a look of intense hatred. The gang's leader spat at his eyes, but they remained unblinking.

"Fuck you man!" he drew a fist back, ready to send his own punch, but it too was caught, twisted and rendered useless.

The last thing he saw was electricity charging around the man's hand as it burst through his ribcage, tore up his innards and cut right through to the other side. He grabbed the man's shoulder and looked at him wide-eyed and confused. No human should be that strong. He managed only a few last blood filled coughs before becoming limp.

Jason let him fall to the ground and surveyed his handiwork. A job well done. The burning desire to kill faded gradually and his mind calmed. He turned to look at the girl, who immediately huddled away. She looked directly into his eyes and noted just how lifeless they were, as if the man didn't fully realise the gravity of his actions that night. A glove encased hand reached out for her and she whimpered.

"Please, no!" the girl shrieked "D-d-don't kill me!"

The hand jerked away and retracted back to Jason's side, a confused look written across his face. The confusion had lost its previous childishness. It looked almost sorrowful, yet the eyes remained empty unaware of how they should react. The girl now hung tightly onto the unconscious man again, who was just about coming about.

"Clara?" he murmured.

"Daddy! Help me!" she cried. The man surveyed the area. All he saw was four mangled corpses and a blood soaked culprit "Y-you! Get away from us you sick mother fucker. Leave my daughter alone! Help! HELP!"

These words hit harder than any of the criminal's attacks had. Jason staggered back away from the two. He began shuffling away, looking at the two as they each continued to shout out. Soon he was off into a full sprint down one of the other alleyways, tearing through garbage and discarded boxes. He couldn't tell how long he ran for, just that he kept running until he couldn't hear any shouting. When Jason had finally calmed down, he staggered up against a wall and collapsed down onto the floor and curled his legs up to his chin as before, the rain still pounding down onto him.

There was no wonder or curiosity anymore. Everything seemed so dark and unforgiving now. A number of strange feelings emerged, built up and then subsided in his body along with the occasional convulsion.

_What are these?_

******

Morning dawned. The crisp air was fresh and renewed, even within the cesspit that is Side-Town. It seemed to bring new dreams and hopes, whether they be false, fanciful or true mattered not. Morning also brought safety with it and the less corrupt citizens of the town were free to move around with relative ease and go about their business. It was like any other day, full of its own share of pain, sorrow and murders. Murders and attacks never usually generated much attention any more, maybe just a short mention in the papers and a "How unfortunate" from most people.

However, this new day's murder had a twist to it. Not so much the people who had died, or the condition of their bodies, but the two eye-witness accounts of a "blue electrical demon". The young girl and man had once again been beset upon, but this time by an army of news reporters who fought to ask questions to the two. A small group of police officers struggled in vain to get their witnesses through and the interview went on. They could only describe the murderer as a vicious dark figure with blue glowing hands. Tests found the alley to have a high charge of electricity and officials were dumbfounded when it came to explaining the cause.

Though they didn't know it, their suspect led just two blocks away in a similar alley curled up into the fettle position. He had weathered the storm of rain and remained outside. Though he was now entirely drenched. The water had helped to wash away most of the blood however. Jason stirred with a jump and found a familiar person standing just a few feet away from him.

"How are you feeling Jason?" Andy asked.

"...How did you find me?" he replied.

"Your little scuffle is all the news Jason," Andy started "I got a look in myself, and I've got to say...great job."

Andy's expression as quite dark. A far cry from the friendly old man he had appeared to be last night. He now stood with a stone-set expression and arms folded across his chest.

"You wanted to know why I brought you here? Who you are? What your purpose is?"

Jason was too staggered to answer any of these questions.

"Well...this was why. Jason. I brought you here to help. You are a...how should I say it? A Guardian. You must protect the people from others like those men last night, by whatever means necessary. Do you understand?"

"Bu...but...what about my past? My memories?!" Jason interjected.

"I will help you find out Jason. Over time, you will regain yourself. You will come to realise who you were and who you now are," Andy turned away slightly and shifted about "It won't be easy, and you may have to...kill many more people. But let me assure you that each and everyone single one of them _deserves it_. We'll talk more on the way back. Get up."

"...Andy-"

"Come on. We have work to do."

End


	5. Conclusion

**Conclusion**

**As I said, this is just a very short story about the OC so anyone reading or interested can get an idea of him. Now I can actually get to the fun stuff and throw him into Jump City where more will be developed upon him.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope to see you about when I start writing the proper story!**

**(And sorry about taking long for anyone who's concerned. I got side-tracked by life.)**


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